Chocolate Quinoa Bites Recipe
If you're in the market for a healthy snack recipe that will satisfy your sweet tooth without making you feel guilty about what you're putting in your body, then we have one that will check all of the boxes. These chocolate quinoa bites have a ton of healthy ingredients, including goji berries. Medical News Today shares that goji berries have many health benefits, and they're good for the immune system. The berries can also help protect against cancer, and they even help you achieve flawless skin. Another bonus? They taste delicious. And guess what? That's just one of the many healthy ingredients in these bites.
Recipe developer Susan Olayinka came up with this delicious recipe that you will love. She says the thing she loves most about these bites is how healthy they are. "I like that it's pretty healthy. Dark chocolate is lower in sugar, and I also like the fact that it's high-protein using the quinoa puffs and the walnuts."
Keep reading to find out how to make these yummy treats.
Gather the ingredients
The first order of business is to grab all of the necessary items to make these tasty and sweet chocolate quinoa bites. For starters, you need to get 14 ounces of dark chocolate. The recipe also calls for two cups of quinoa puffs, which add a nice little crunch. Be sure to grab some walnuts and goji berries as well. The last item on your list should be salt, which you likely already have at home.
All of these healthy ingredients make the perfect chocolate quinoa bits that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without making you feel guilty about what you're putting in your body.
Melt the chocolate
Now that you have all of your items, it's time to begin cooking! Grab your dark chocolate and a pot of water. Turn the heat on your stove to low, and use the bain-marie method to melt the chocolate. "It's simply just having a pot of water and then placing a heatproof mixing bowl over it and melting the chocolate in it," Olayinka says of the bain-marie method. You probably already knew what it was without knowing the specific method name.
It should only take about five minutes to melt the chocolate, so you can either set a timer or just watch for the chocolate to finish melting.
Crush the walnuts and combine ingredients
Now, it's time to get crushing. As you wait for your chocolate to finish melting, grab your walnuts and crush them to form smaller pieces. "To chop, use a sharp knife and place the walnuts on a chopping board, then chop them into small pieces," Olayinka says. Simple enough, right? You can also sub the walnuts for "cashews, pinenuts, or pecan nuts."
Once you are finishing chopping the walnuts, your chocolate should be fully melted. Take it off of the heat. Now, you can begin adding the other items that make up the bites, including the quinoa puffs, crushed walnuts, goji berries, and salt. If you're keeping track, that should be all of your ingredients.
Mix the balls
Now that all of your ingredients are hanging out together in the same bowl, grab a spoon and give the mixture a few good stirs. You want to make sure that everything is well combined so you will have some of each ingredient in each ball.
Next, line a baking tray with parchment paper, and form the mixture into two-inch balls. You can simply roll the bites with your hands to form the balls. Please note that this recipe should make somewhere between 10 to 12 balls, depending on how big you make them.
Chill the quinoa bites and enjoy
Now, it's time for the last step in the process. Stick the baking sheet into the fridge (yep, it's rather weird not putting it in the oven, but that's okay — a baking sheet is useful whether you need it for hot or cold dishes). Set your timer for an hour. Once it goes off, that means the quinoa bites are done, and you can enjoy. They taste great chilled.
If you have leftovers, then you're in luck because they last for a while! "These can store for about three months in the freezer in an airtight container," Olayinka shares. We hope you enjoy!
- 14 ounces dark chocolate
- ½ cup walnuts
- 2 cups quinoa puffs
- ½ cup goji berries
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Using bain-marie method, melt the dark chocolate over a pot of hot water on low heat. This should take 5 minutes.
- Crush the walnuts to form smaller pieces.
- Once the dark chocolate is melted, take off the heat and add in the quinoa puffs, chopped crushed walnuts, goji berries, and salt.
- Mix ingredients together. Form the mixture into 2-inch balls and place on a lined baking tray. This should make 10 to 12 balls.
- Place the tray in the freezer for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, take out the freezer. Serve.
| Calories per Serving | 390 |
| Total Fat | 19.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10.0 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 1.2 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 45.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7.7 g |
| Total Sugars | 12.9 g |
| Sodium | 60.8 mg |
| Protein | 9.0 g |
